Air Transport

US DOT reports US airlines carried 66m pax in August, down 20.8% vs Aug 2019; international traffic fell 42.7% vs Aug 2019.

Italy’s new national airline ITA Airways has laid out its network ambitions, saying it hopes to be flying to 74 destinations across 89 routes by 2025.

AIRBLUE, Pakistan leased new LEAP-powered A321neo (10162) from GECAS; a second is due by end of 2021.

LUFTHANSA CARGO retired its last MD-11F (48783; built in 1998), which was sold to WESTERN GLOBAL AIRLINES.

FALKO REGIONAL AIRCRAFT reports it signed lease agreements/extensions for 13 aircraft in 2Q21; it also signed LOIs to lease 12 E-Jets to three

Simon C. Pitt to Chief Commercial Officer of PNG AIR.

CDB AVIATION signed new lease transactions for 31 aircraft in 1H21 and now has owned/managed/committed fleet of 378 aircraft.

SMBC AVIATION CAPITAL closed 5-year, $500m bond offering, following 7-year, $500m bond issuance in June 2021.

iFLY, Russia agreed to lease two A330-300s (TBA) from Voyager Aviation Holdings (VAH) for Sept 2022/March 2023.

US DOT says US scheduled pax airlines employed 407,965 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers in Aug, down 9.2% vs Aug 2019.

Flight LH8161 from New York JFK marked the end of Lufthansa Cargo’s commercial service with the three-engine MD-11F after more than 23 years.

UK LCC easyJet is planning further strategic investment in easyJet Holidays, to expand the business beyond its current focus on the UK-originating leisure market.

International Airlines Group (IAG) CFO Steve Gunning plans to leave his position, the company announced Oct. 15.

Austrian Airlines is increasing the size of the premium economy cabin on its Boeing 767 fleet from 18 to 30 seats per aircraft.

The Irish government plans to provide the country’s aviation sector with a €126 million ($146 million) boost to help restore air services in the post-pandemic period and improve facilities at regional airports.

Singapore-headquartered BOC Aviation achieved 99% utilization for its owned-aircraft fleet for the quarter ended Sept. 30.

Airline executives still fretting over the pace of travel recovery in many markets now face another potentially significant short-term headache: rising fuel prices.

With cargo demand projected to exceed 2019 levels both in 2021 and 2022, it’s not surprising that passenger airlines will continue to lean on their cargo operations to supplement their revenue for the foreseeable future.

Eurocontrol said a recovery to 2019 levels of passenger and cargo flights in Europe could come as early as 2023.

Etihad Airways has raised $1.2 billion in the first sustainability-linked loan (SLL) tied to environmental, social and governance (ESG) targets in global aviation.

A U.S. federal grand jury has indicted former Boeing 737 MAX chief technical pilot Mark Forkner, alleging he intentionally withheld crucial information about flight control software changes from FAA officials during the model’s certification, helping set the stage for two fatal accidents linked to the software.

Vaccinated air travelers from 33 foreign countries will be allowed to enter the U.S. beginning Nov. 8, according to a White House official.

Nicholas Cadbury to Chief Financial Officer of International Airlines Group (IAG).

BOC AVIATION signed 27 lease commitments in 3Q21 vs 13 in 3Q20, and now has owned/managed/committed fleet of 533 aircraft (383 owned with 99%

TUI TRAVEL sold new 737-8 (44653) to Aviation Capital Group and leased it back for operation by TUI AIRLINES BELGIUM.